Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

Explore the life of Nelson Mandela with this informative site from Biography.com. Contents include facts of Mandela's life, photos, and quotes profiling his life and leadership. There is a lot here to explore.
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tag(s): 20th century (62), black history (133), civil rights (209), heroes (24), Nelson Mandela (7), south africa (13)

Find a good introduction and overview of the life of Nelson Mandela geared toward elementary and middle school students. View basic information, such as why Mandela is famous. Look at young Mandela, problems in South Africa, and his life as a world statesman. Scroll through several fun facts about Mandela, play a sorting game about Mandela's life, explore photographs, or take a short quiz. This site was created in the UK. American English speakers may notice some slight spelling or vocabulary differences. Though the video may not play in your area, the information and interactive make this site worth a visit.

tag(s): biographies (94), civil rights (209), heroes (24), Nelson Mandela (7), south africa (13)

Explore information and facts about the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize winner, Nelson Mandela, straight from the Nobel Prize website. In addition to basic biographical information, view videos of Mandela's Nobel lecture, a bibliography of his writings, a photo gallery and much more.

tag(s): 1960s (26), 1970s (10), 1980s (7), 20th century (62), biographies (94), black history (133), civil rights (209), cultures (180), heroes (24), Nelson Mandela (7), south africa (13)

Take a tour of your closet to find out where your clothes come from. Discover the concept of interdependence and the extent of our global footprints. Research where raw materials come from and how clothes are made. Consider the implications of manufacturing and transportation to get them to your closet. This interactive includes informative videos complete with transcript. You can save your place within the interactive by "getting a code" that you re-enter on return.

tag(s): natural resources (37), resources (83)

This free tool created by a botanist/zoologist is a useful resource about living things. Though some of the content requires a membership, there are many resources that are free. Find information, photos, and even free video clips. Note that illustrations are copyrighted by the site owner, and information from the site must be cited with the correct references given (examples are provided.) Be sure to check out all the tabs that include Plants and Animals, the Planet Earth, Science words and Pics, Human Body, and more. Don't miss the chance to Ask a Zoo Vet (under Bringing Science to You) and many activities for those as young as preK (see Words and Pictures).
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tag(s): animals (294), earth (184), human body (93), plants (146)

Sheppard Software offers hundreds of online learning games for learners in a large variety of subjects. Topics include brain games, seasons, nutrition, and world geography. Search for specific topics or browse categories. Looking for a specific grade level range? Scroll down below the main icons to view recommended sections for different age ranges from preschool to adult. In addition to games, some categories include videos, timelines, and coloring activities. If your district blocks YouTube, the videos may not be viewable. Some activities require flash which isn't supported on all browsers.
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tag(s): addition (129), alphabet (53), alphabetical order (8), animal homes (57), animals (294), capitalization (9), capitals (16), cells (82), colors (63), continents (33), counting (60), countries (73), decimals (85), dinosaurs (43), division (98), elements (33), endangered species (27), equations (119), estimation (33), fractions (160), geometric shapes (134), grammar (137), integers (21), landforms (39), life cycles (21), measurement (122), money (113), multiplication (122), number lines (33), number sense (69), numbers (120), oceans (149), order of operations (29), parts of speech (39), patterns (61), periodic table (44), place value (34), puzzles (149), states (124), subtraction (110), time (91), vocabulary (238), vocabulary development (94)

Discover book titles to use with elementary level Social Studies content. Choose from grade level bands and the topics of Civics, History, Geography, and Economics. Each link leads to a list of book titles including author, subject, and a brief description. Some titles also include a "more" link leading to a short article referring to use of the book. This site includes a great mix of genres. Don't miss the nonfiction/informative text, perfect for meeting your Common Core standards.

tag(s): book lists (167), branches of government (65), guided reading (33), independent reading (81), literature (221)

Toporopa provides educational and entertaining quizzes about Europe. The quizzes vary in focus but include Countries of Europe, Rivers of Europe, Ports of Europe, Monarchies of Europe, Volcanoes of Europe, and many others. The maps offer a variety of focus from political, geographic, historical, and even economical, making this tools useful in a variety of class/subjects. Most activities are in drag and drop or multiple choice format.
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tag(s): countries (73), europe (84), maps (220), rivers (16), volcanoes (55)

Next Vista offers Learning videos for teachers looking for alternatives to YouTube. At the time of this review, they offered over 1,000 videos (most useful for in the classroom). Videos are made by teachers and/or students. Search by three main topics: Light Bulbs, Global View, or Seeing Service. Better yet, use the right sidebar to search by topic: Math, Science, World Languages, History & Culture, Performing Arts, and more.Next Vista offers an extensive collection of career videos to use as a resource for exploring and discovering career opportunities. View videos directly on site or share using the link or embed code provided. Throughout the school year, Next Vista hosts video creation contests for students and teachers. Submit your own videos less than 5 minutes in length using directions provided. They even offer small prizes for winners.

tag(s): africa (148), asia (116), careers (156), computers (109), europe (84), literature (221), musical instruments (52), musical notation (34), north america (15), parts of speech (39), poetry (193), shakespeare (99), south america (47), speech (69), video (266)

Welcome to the official home of the 2014 Olympic Winter and Paralympic Games. Explore the site to learn about Olympic events, the culture of Sochi, and view schedules for all events. Choose the mascots link to learn more about the Olympic mascots and their place within the Olympic games. Some portions of the site may appear in Russian, choose the link at the top of the page to view in English.
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tag(s): olympics (45), sports (82)

Stuck out in the cold learning about the Arctic? Vetting information can be like trying to dig in permafrost. The Arctic Program is a cool resource to provide your students in-depth information and analysis on the Arctic. The site may have a stark, snowy look, but it is quite useful. The data is from reputable scientific sources, and the information is presented in easy to understand narratives. View data on the Arctic report card page, which provides evidence of the sustained change in the Arctic environmental system. Detailed data is also available on the ice, atmosphere, and the ocean. View detailed information on the vegetation and wildlife of the Arctic. Tons of other links are also available to meet any explorer's need. This site meets the needs of diverse learners exploring the Arctic.

tag(s): arctic (40), biomes (110)

If you are looking for a general informational site about the 2024 Summer Paris Olympics, this site is for you! Learn about sports, including basketball, swimming, gymnastics, and more. View video clips that take a deeper look behind the athletes and Olympic news, watch a countdown (with days, hours, minutes, and seconds), and more. Read and follow the information to stay updated with the latest Olympic news and updates.

tag(s): countries (73), olympics (45), sports (82)

Take a look at the science behind changing leaf colors with this interesting site from Explore Asheville. View a time-lapse video of changing colors, learn about the early Greek's theories on why colors change, and find out about changing colors around the world. Information is presented in videos, Google Earth files, and slides. If your district blocks YouTube, then they may not be viewable.
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tag(s): plants (146), seasons (37), trees (18)

Practice and learn capitals of countries with this simple game. Jump on the lily pad with the correct country to match a given capital city. Be careful - choose the wrong country and your toad falls in the lake!

tag(s): capitals (16), countries (73)

Find engaging, challenging units to begin your Common Core journey. Intel Education Units are complete and include assessment tools. Search by grade level or subject. Find the basics for planning units. Also find sequencing maps, sequencing activities, classification charts, and prioritizing listings. Instructional Strategies include activating prior knowledge, graphic organizers, cooperative learning, and questioning strategies.

tag(s): literacy (122)

Learn the definitions of longitude and latitude and embark on a treasure hunt! Find the correct coordinates before the pirates get to the treasures! As you correctly answer problems, you are moved to more difficult levels.

tag(s): coordinates (15), earth (184), latitude (10), longitude (9), map skills (63)

Connect with students and scientists all over the world conducting science using GLOBE. GLOBE Scientists post their thoughts, comments, and philosophies about science topics that are sure to meet your curricular needs. Reading the blog entries is open to everyone (no registration). You must register with an email address at the bottom of the page for this free site to share comments and discuss the topics. Anonymous comments are not allowed, and moderators approve all posts before showing on the blog. This is a great science collaboration location!

tag(s): asia (116), climate (84), earth (184), europe (84), scientists (67), seasons (37), soil (16), watersheds (8), weather (160)

Find lesson plans at the Pulitzer Center for grades 3-12 that identify global issues and ways to address them. Topics include subjects such as International Adoptions: Ethics and Effects and America's Responsibility for the Welfare and Safety of Chinese Workers and many other intriguing topics. Each lesson plan includes big ideas, essential questions, Common Core standards, vocabulary, assessments, and additional resources. Bring lessons to life through journalist visits (in larger cities) or Skype visits.

tag(s): africa (148), careers (156), china (81), debate (42), earthquakes (46), ethics (21), food chains (19), hiv/aids (15), india (32), journalism (74), media literacy (109), water (102), women (151)

Watch full length documentaries online for free. Find your favorites through daily suggestions, browsing the top 100, or searching categories: 9/11, activism, art, aviation, business, comedy, crime, disaster, drugs, economics, environmental, food/drink, health, media, medicine, music, nature, performing arts, philosophy, political, religion, science, social, sport, strange, technology, travel, and many more. Look at film festivals and films featured in each. If you do not find what you are looking for, submit your request. A link to Amazon brings you to DVD's. Some are free, and others are for sale.
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tag(s): video (266)

Dive into Documentary Storm to discover 100% free documentary films. The goal of the website is to share knowledge spread ideas, and have fun. Search the different channels to find exactly what you are seeking. Topics included are art, biography, conspiracy, culture, drugs, environment, health, indie films, lifestyle, mockumentaries, money, nature, politics, psychology, religion, science, society, sports, technology, war, and many more. Search in the top 100 documentaries, or click use"surprise me." Connect with Facebook, RSS, X (formerly Twitter), or email.

tag(s): video (266)